How to Bleed Your Homes Radiators to Increase Heating Effectively

Does your home feel cold even when you have the heating on?

If the answer is yes, then your radiators are not fully working and one or more of them might have air that is trapped in them that is obstructing the normal flow of things.

Yes, this is a simple problem to fix we hear you say, “I’ll just bleed the radiators “but do you know the actual procedure to carry out? With just a few simple tools you will have in your shed, garage, or kitchen drawers you can get your heating back up and running in no time.

1. DIAGNOSE YOUR RADIATOR

A rad that need to be bleed has cool air trapped in the system, when you turn on your heating, either the entire radiator will feel cold, or the top section will feel cold while the bottom section feels warm.

If all your radiators feel this way, then you might have a bigger problem on hand, if you have multiple radiators in your home and all of them are cold or lukewarm, your water system may not be working or malfunctioning, or you might have a build-up of sludge in your heating system.

2. FIND YOUR RADIATOR KEY

If you have decided to bleed your radiator the first thing to do is find where you put the key for safe keeping.

When you have located the key or another tool that will do the job, look for the valve at the top of one end of your radiator.  On the valve, you will find a small square bit which can be turned to adjust the valve. Remember you need to find the right size key to fit your valve or search your toolbox for another tool that will fit and turn the valve.

Some more modern radiators come equipped with valves that can be turned with a flathead screwdriver. A good tip is if you bleed one radiator then bleed them all.

3. TURN OFF YOUR HEATING

Please ensure your heating is turned off before you carry out bleeding your radiators, if you don’t turn the heating off then an active heating system can introduce more air into your system. You might want to let your radiators completely settle before you start to bleed them. If your radiators still feel a bit warm to the touch, then leave them a while longer.

4. When your radiators are completely cooled down, make sure that both your intake and exit valves of the rad are turned to the “open” position. Then, insert your key or screwdriver into the bleed screw in the bleed valve at the top of the radiator. Turn the screw anti-clockwise to open the valve. There should be a hissing like sound, this is the air escaping for your radiator. Make sure you have a cloth of some kind to catch the water that will likely sputter from the bleed valve.

5. When a steady stream of water starts to come through form the bleed valve you have released the air in that radiator, re-tighten the screw by turning clockwise, there should be no leaks coming from the valve when you have tightened it. Use the cloth to clean up any water around the radiator bleed valve.

6. Repeat the same process on all your radiators to make sure there is no air still trapped in your heating system, when you done this turn on your heating system and wait for the radiators to heat up. If your radiators are still cold or Lukewarm, then contact your local plumber specialist in Derby, Ripley and Belper.

If you need help with bleeding your radiators or any other plumbing issue, then feel free to give us a call on (01773) 749 713 and we can either advise over the phone or send someone out to help.